Completing safety training at the start of your career is only half the safety journey.
We all know that having the correct skills in place to assist in protecting safety at the workplace is an important requirement of every job. Everyone deserves to go home safely at the end of the day. But learning those safety skills is not a “one and done” thing. It is critical that competencies be refreshed on a regular basis.
Australian laws and standards do not specify timeframes within which qualifications or competencies must be refreshed. It is required that workers be “competent”, however what makes someone “competent” is not strictly defined. To address this, many employers or site operators will require their workers to demonstrate having undertaken refresher training within specified timeframes.
The timeframe for undertaking refresher training varies by competency as well as by employer, and/or the rules in place on any given worksite. However, our extensive experience in providing both training and refresher training has demonstrated there are some common timeframes used across Australia.
Competencies often required to be updated every year include:
- HLTAID009 Provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
- UETTDRRF06 Perform rescue from a live LV panel (low voltage rescue)
- PUASAR022 Participate in a rescue operation
Competencies generally required to be updated every two years include:
- RIIWHS204E Work safely at heights
- RIIWHS202E Enter and work in confined spaces
- MSMPER200 Work in accordance with an issued permit
- MSMWHS217 Gas test atmospheres
The HLTAID011 Provide first aid competency is often required to be refreshed or updated only every three years.
Keeping your skills maintained offers additional benefits beyond knowing that you are equipped to safely carry out work on a day-to-day basis. Being able to easily demonstrate the currency of your competency can make starting on a new worksite or with a new company easy.
Following a regular skills refresher plan can assist workers – especially sole traders – in reducing unexpected downtime that occurs when you unexpectedly need to update a competency to meet contractual obligations or adhere to a worksite’s rules.
As a registered training organisation, (RTO 91227) Height Safety Engineers offers a range of common workplace safety skills refresher courses. Our expert trainers bring years of real industry experience to every class they teach. Our state-of-the-art training centres – located in Sydney and Dubbo – offer participants the chance to simulate a variety of common workplace scenarios in a safe and controlled environment.
Our helpful and friendly training team can provide your team with a training plan designed with your business or worksite’s needs in mind. Contact HSE today to find out how we can help you protect people with industry-leading training and skills maintenance programs.
